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Kia Pulls Covers off 2012 Rio Ahead of Geneva Motor Show

The latest of Kia’s product reinventions is the all-new 2012 Rio, which the South Korean automaker just unveiled ahead of its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month.As with the rest of Kia’s recent product introductions, the all-new Rio receives Kia’s familial face and styling. It sports the corporate grille, flanked by headlights with integrated LED daytime running lights. Three air intakes in the sculpted, lower front fascia and chunky flared wheel arches help to lend the new Rio a sportier look.From the photos Kia has released we can tell that the Rio looks similarly sporty from the rear as well. The roofline looks to have been designed for a mixture of practicality and style -- it’s not as steeply raked that of the Ford Fiesta, but nowhere near as upright as the Volkswagen GTI. A new character line that runs from just aft of the front wheels continues up through the taillights and across the rear hatch. Overall, the new Rio looks good and vastly different from the current Rio5’s extremely bland and boxy styling.

“This new model is a big step forward,” said Soon-Nam Lee, director of Kia’s overseas marketing. “The Rio has always been successful, and with this new incarnation we have a car which is extremely attractive, that people will want to buy for its looks.”Unfortunately, the four-door hatchback model shown here may not come to the U.S.A., as previous Rio5 sales were rather lackluster. A sedan model and a two-door hatchback are planned as well however. Kia will reveal which bodystyles are headed to which markets at a later date.

As with the bodystyles, powertrains will vary by market, but a variety of engines are planned. The U.S. is slated to receive Kia’s 1.6-liter, direct-injected I-4 that produces 140 horsepower and is available in the new Hyundai Elantra. Kia also has plans for an all-new, 1.2-liter, turbocharged I-4, which may be introduced in the States after 2012.Look for the all-new 2012 Kia Rio to debut in at least the four-door hatchback variation at the Geneva Motor Show this March. Kia has not yet announced when the car will go on sale.Source: Kia

Another step in the right direction for Kia.
I've always thought Rios were little pieces. This design makes it much more appealing.
Although I don't like the name. I dislike when car companies name vehicles after locations.

I liked the previous Rio. It wasn't "exciting" but very competent (at least in its design). This Rio looks AWESOME. If small hatchback looked like THIS (and the Fiesta) more Americans would be in them. But alas, America got the double wammy with the "bigger is ALWAYS better" pre-WWII thought and the crappy early hatchbacks, and we will probably be FOREVER not getting these really nice hatches. Sad. We miss out of A LOT of great vehicles.

It doesn't matter if it looks better than the Fiesta. The Fiesta will probably sell much better in the States, and most certainly sell better around the world. Plus the dual clutch automatic is awesome! Both will return extremely good fuel economy, but it has alot on its plate to dethrone the established Fit and Fiesta. Overall, this is a great car - lightyears better than last generation's. I am not knocking Kia at all, I have been praising Hyundai and Kia for years in regards to their extreme leaps in improvement and quality. I would definitely consider buying their cars. Great job!

I see trollboy can't resist trolling.
Most of the autodesigners have been influenced by Peter Schreyer's work so nice try.
Also, these days, Kias are more reliable than most auto brands according to both JD Power and Consumer Reports, so nice try, but no cigar, again.
Anyway, this is a decent design, but nowhere as good as the concept rendering (which, I guess, shouldn't be a surprise).

Not Bad! Kia is certainly continuing it's charge against the established contenders! I can see where people see styling similarites between this and the Fiesta but I think this looks better. Almost an A3 kind of cool! Peter Sheryer's (or how ever you spell it) designs have always been a bit derivative, even when he was designing for Audi. I wouldn't buy one of these cuz I want more space and power but I'll be glad to see this over the Sonic, Fit, & that fugly Versa!

That is the first hatchback that I've seen that I would actually consider buying...the most intersting part of the article was the metion of the 1.2 liter turbo engine. A durable, powerful, efficient 1.2 liter would make the Kia an extremely formidable contender.

Well said! But I'd also argue that even some of those pre-2000 models were also bulletproof. My family has owned Hyundai's since the early Excels and all of them were driven hard either to or in excess of 100k and not one of them suffered a breakdown or other notable mechanical issue..... Not one! I can't say the same about one of the Honda's we owned which became a rotting bump stop for my same year, higher mileage Buick. None of them were oil burners or rot boxes either. Other than a minor suspension noise repaired under warranty, an unusual sounding a/c compressor, which they vowed to cover after warranty if it ever failed, and a bad spark plug wire; nothing ever happened rendering one of them to require in as much as a jump start or tow. That speaks volumes and is the reason why I bought one and there are three of them currently owned by family members.
I ask why anyone would pay more for a Honda or Toyota only to get less! Certainly a less attractive car, with less content for the same price.
If Kia or Hyundai would just build a small truck for the US market, I'd own one of them too!

I think this car looks pretty good! I also suggest that many other manufacturers should look at how Kia has incorporated their new face into the car and didn't make it look just like every other model, just a smaller version. Yeah, they kept some cues in there that still make it recognizable as a Rio too. I think it was a job well done. Now if they just bring a 2 door hatch here with more zip and a suspension to match it's looks, they'd stand a chance at gaining more sales.

@ bagsen, get out of the stone age and do some research. Hyundai/Kia doesn't borrow motors\transmissions from anyone unlike a lot of other car companies. They do all their own research, trial and error testing,....ect (In house) And as far as lasting half as long, you would be correct for PRE - 2000 model year cars, since then Hyundai\Kia have been sharing motor\transmissions and other technologies that either match or exceed what other car manufacturers are producing. And don't forget that multi-billion dollar state of the art plant Kia built in 09' in West Point Georgia, Hyundai\Kia are here to stay for a long time.

The nose looks like a carp. We already have Asian carp invading our rivers and streams. Now, we'll have them invading our streets too.
To me, the Kia "signature" nose just doesn't work on this car. The back is a clone of the Golf. The side door creases seem borrowed from Hyundai's "Fluidic design sculpture", but I actually think they add to, rather than detract from the overall package in this case (which is more than I can say about the Sonata and Tucson).

If this little Rio uses the 140-hp engine it should blow its competition out of the water...or at least acceleration-wise anyway. If they can get the handling and suspension right too it could actually be a pretty cool car.

replace the KIA logo with a Ford one and nobody can tell the difference. Its a blatant Focus/Fiesta copy just like the Forte is a blatant Civic copy. So you get a car that looks like the others just lasts half as long, well played.

The front end looks way too busy with the corporate grille seeming forced onto it's face, and with the stuffed compound headlights. Other than that, it looks nice, and I am hoping the front end is less distracting once we see some non-shopped photos of the car.

What a sharp lil hatchback! Seeing as how sister Hyundai is planning on bringing a 5 door Accent to the states, I say keep this sporty look on a 3door hatch for Kia as the Forte 5 is already here. Now if Kia would only introduce the Optmia Wagon with turbo...I'd gladly trade in my Crosstour for that and get the 3 door Rio as a second car for my partner...Keep them commin KIA!!

Now my favorite, I think KIA finally missed the mark a little. The trademark grill looks squeezed into the design and the belt line looks like a inversed Opel Insignia line (which I don't like either) but the B-Pillar back looks good

I bet the Rio5 sales wouldn't be so bad if they brought this one to the states. I say give it a trial run to see how it goes. Then again, the new Fiesta (despite looking kind of awkward in sedan form IMO) is some how selling a lot of sedans (at least in my area...all I see are Fiesta sedans). Oh well, us Americans and our aversion to anything w/ a hatch that isn't an SUV/CUV.